Seventh Year Seems A Bit Different For Ron
by Chick Flicks- Rock 'N' Roll
Summary: Finally the last year at Hogwarts, but is it possible that all things go differently? Will Harry attend? WIll his friends follow him? Or more importantly, will Ron finally confront Hermione? Hope you enjoy!
1. Choices and Pumpkin Colored Flowers

He sat in the shady room heated by the immense summer sun; Ron pondered what his 'supposed to be last year' would be like. He was seventeen now and would be entering his seventh year at Hogwarts. But things had changed since Ron started attending, mostly due to the fact that his best friend was '_the Chosen One_'. Harry had always brought amazing adventures to Ron's life at Hogwarts, but he was afraid that his next expedition with Harry would be too much for him.

More importantly than the danger Ron would be putting himself in was the fact that he couldn't leave the love of his life. Though he didn't know it, Ron was madly in love with Hermione. Ron fell in love with her when she first mocked him on the Hogwarts Express, but Ron could never accept this. He was too shy to approach her, and she was so brave and smart, and all around perfect. Hermione was everything Ron had ever dreamed of, and more.

So as Ron sat in the small room at the top of the Burrow, this is what he thought of. Could he run off with Harry attempting to defeat "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" (yes, Ron still won't say his name) or was he too chicken? But that's not how Ron saw it of course. Honestly, he understood that he needed this last year of schooling to accomplish much in life. Ron had a lot to live up to. Bill was soon to marry Fleur and was raking in galleons even after his suspicious incident, Charlie was in Romania again, and occasionally wrote about Norbert. Then there was Percy, and though he refused to speak to their Mum and Dad, he was highly accomplished. Fred and George hadn't finished their education at Hogwarts, but they already had a nag for their business. Ron just knew he couldn't live up to any of them. And he had to be a role model for Ginny.

Was Harry really going to miss out on his last year? Didn't he want to become and Auror, the surely wouldn't let him apply if he had dropped out early. And if he was taking all of this seriously, he couldn't possibly expect Hermione and Ron to drop their lives and join his psychotic plan. Ron was sure Hermione didn't need to take her last year, but he knew she wanted to. He was desperate to find an excuse to stay at Hogwarts with Hermione, but didn't know how to let Harry down. He strummed his fingers on the chipped paint of the windowsill. What to do? Ron knew he couldn't make this decision alone and decided to seek advice from the person who understood him most. George.

At this point Ron could legally use magic outside of Hogwarts, so he took his Quick-Quotes Quill out and sucked on the tip of the scarlet feather.

"_Ronald Billius Weasley, Seventeen years old, tall, thin, with sheening red hair"_ spoke the handy writing device in a sing song voice.

He could begin writing now, well dictating his writing at that point. Ron was now fascinated with how useful magic really was. He had promised to write letters to his friends, and sometimes his brothers, and having his Quick-Quotes Quill made it all the easier. So Ron just started spilling it all out.

"Dear George, it's Ron and I know we haven't talked in a while but I need some help A.S.A.P. As my big brother I thought that you would be the most helpful when it comes to deciding" Ron was struggling with what words to use next "well deciding who I want to be."

The process of writing this letter seemed to take hours, as Ron crossed out phrases and reworded the entire thing several times over. He wanted to make sure the entire thing sounded just right, but didn't have to worry about too much. Though Ron didn't know this either, Fred and George had always known about Ron's liking to Hermione. They had spoken to each other many times about the day when their baby brother would have to decide between his two best friends.

Just as Ron melted the seal on his letter to George, he heard his mother scream out that dinner was ready. This was actually a very strange way of hearing about dinner, as her voice was filled with excitement instead of the recent aggravation that rang in her vocals. There was something eerie about hearing her sound so chipper. Mrs. Weasley had been having a rough summer. She had been expecting it to be just her, Arthur, Ginny, and Ron, but her summer plans changed in many ways. Bill had decided that Fleur needed to spend a bit more time with them seeing as the Weasleys are so family oriented. The entire household, excluding Bill and Fleur, knew that Molly was easily tortured by just the sound of Fleur's voice. Interestingly enough, the only person at the Burrow calling her Pleghm now was Molly.

On top of having Bill and Fleur, Mrs. Weasley was also housing one of her other elder sons, Charlie. Most of the Weasley siblings hadn't seen Charlie in a good few years and were excited to see their brother and exchange tales from Romania. So now Mrs. Weasley had sons in her house that she had missed for years. Even stranger, at least in Ron's opinion, was that Fred and George were alternating, each taking turns staying at the Burrow and in Diagon Alley. The entire house was full of rambunctious children again, and none of this really bothered Molly, except for the fact that she was missing her baby girl.

Ginny had suspiciously left her mother's keep. Though Molly and Arthur were still frantically searching for her, everyone knew very well that Ginny had run off to assist Harry in his ventures. Ron missed his little sister, though they did keep in touch. When she wrote to Ron, Ginny never mentioned where she was or who she was with, but always reassured her safety. Ron was frantically trying to encourage Ginny to attend Hogwarts again, seeing as this would only be her sixth year, yet he was having no such luck.

So after hearing Mrs. Weasley's excited call for food, Ron apparated to the kitchen as quickly as he could. His long flaming red hair flew about as he landed in the middle of the kitchen. He looked at his mother and her oddly placed smile. He gave her a look as if to say, "_What's going on here?_".

"Ronald, just go outside and see for yourself!" Molly chimed.

How odd could things get? Ron just decided to walk out to the back yard to where the table was, gently kicking gnomes as he passed them. As the tension built up inside him, his walk became more of a skip. As he finally reached the table, he only saw his three brothers smiling back at him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary besides his brothers' wide mouthed smiles. But at that moment a large pumpkin colored flower resembling a gargantuan sunflower shifted to the side revealing a beautiful young woman.

"Hello Ron" said Hermione, with an anxious tone in her voice.

"Hermione, you're here? It's…it's…it's great to see you!" Ron said, at a slight loss for words. How could he have ever expected her to appear in his back yard in the middle of summer without notice? But nevertheless, she looked amazing, stunning at that. Her hair had been straightened and fell around her elbows. Her amber eyes glistening in great contrast behind the brightly colored garden, she had changed so much, yet she was still the same Hermione Ron had met six years ago. Ron was dumbstruck by her beauty, and still not able to find the right things to say.

"Your hair, it's…well it's straight." Ron stumbled, not knowing how to complement her.

"Well yes Ronald, in the Muggle world we have these things called flat irons which we use to straighten our hair. Do you like it?" she started off in her sarcastic know-it-all voice, but then gently moved to her self conscience smile, hoping for Ron's approval.

"Beautiful" Ron said, and for the first time that night had some idea of what he was saying.


	2. Ickle Ronniekins and Strange Auras

Ron was dumbfounded, at a loss of thought. The girl of his dreams was at his house, just sitting there waiting for him. Sure she had been at the Burrow before, but Ron had only started to realize his growing infatuation with Hermione. Ron was just staring at her, then he noticed that this seemed a bit odd, so turned his gaze back to the table.

"Ron, Ron, Earth to Ron!" Charlie said, each time increasing the volume of his voice, but Ron was still in a daze.

"Ickle Ronniekins having trouble adjusting?" shouted Fred. That was it, they had gone too far. Ron had put up with that name since before he could remember, but not in front of Hermione. How dare he…

"Oh shut up Forge! No, Gred! Oh you know what I mean!" Ron said, turning away as quickly as he could. His freckle spotted face was turning maroon quickly.

"Oh calm down boys! Just everyone sit down and get ready for dinner. I think I heard Mrs. Weasley say that Fleur helped make a few dishes." Hermione said in a subtle, yet commanding voice. And with that all the red headed wonders sat at the table. Mrs. Weasley and Fleur walked out, levitating several dishes, at least a dozen. As they gracefully floated to the table, As all of his siblings, and his new guest did, Ron lunged forward in his seat to get a good look of what had been served.

All of the plates on the right side of the table were packed full of delicious foods such as mashed potatoes and pork. But after glancing towards the other side of the table, many of the Weasleys had found themselves as speechless as Ron had been. Fleur's dishes seemed a bit less edible, and more like poisons or other harmful things. None of it had that humble aroma that Molly's food had, but they all knew they would have to eat some of it out of manners.

Dinner seemed to dwindle on for hours, which didn't really bother anyone. The garden was full of 'happy' colors that matched the warm colors of the June sunset. Everyone talked away about many things, but the wedding in particular. Ron had nearly forgotten that he was going to France in another week. He just felt lucky that he wasn't under Fleur's mercy, like Ginny. Though she hadn't been at the Burrow with everyone else, she had promised to make it to France for the wedding. And Fleur was still insisting on pale goldish dresses for Ginny and Gabriella. But Ron was tired of hearing about this and decided to return to his room and get his letter sent to George.

"Mum, I'm gonna head in now. Thank you so much for dinner. You too Fleur. I'll see you all in the morning" Ron said, pretending he was tired. After he convinced him mother that he really did appreciate Fleur's cooking, Ron trudged up the many flights of creaky stairs to reach his room. Ron plopped down on his bed, and stretched his arms out behind him. Now that Hermione was here, he would have a bit more of a biased opinion on his next year plans. Hermione was there in her beauty and she was just convincing Ron with her every move to stay with her. All he could think about was Hermione before this, and now she would be here twenty-four seven.

At that moment someone walked in the room. When Ron heard the door lick shut he shot straight up to see who was here to bother him after he made it very clear that he was going to sleep, even though he wasn't. Once he was sitting up again, and his head rush had passed, he looked up only to see Hermione standing at the foot of his bed.

"Oh, hey. I didn't expect you and, I…well, I didn't get to clean up. " Ron said shyly, his face turning that adorable pink color again.

"Oh Ron, do you really think it bothers me. You kind of get used to untidiness when your two best friends are guys. Anyways, it's a lot better than living with my psychotic neat freak parents. " Hermione chipperly piped. Her smile, that perfect smile. Yes she had gotten her teeth arranged a bit better a few years back, but that wasn't the point. Hermione just looked absolutely….oh he just couldn't find words to describe her.

"Hermione, I wanted to tell you something….oh never mind" Ron was sure that this would be a great time to tell Hermione about his feelings, but he is Ron, and his nerves got the worst of him. Now all Ron felt was embarrassed, he sounded like an idiot.

"No, Ron, it's fine, you can tell me. We're best friends aren't we, I mean you can tell me anything." She quickly replied in her comforting voice. Ron looked back at her knowing that he could tell her anything, just he wasn't ready for this. She had been there for him throughout all of their strange adventures in the past six years They had gone from two scrawny, frightened first years to amazing heroes. (or at least good sidekicks) Hermione had changed so much, and not just in looks. Of course she had changed from the bushy haired girl she was, but now she was more daring, and accepting of what life was going to bring her, good or not. As he continued thinking of her and all of her amazing-ness, Hermione quickly hopped onto the bed so she could get relaxed. She was having a conversation and didn't want to stand on her feet for much longer.

"'Mione, it's just, I…we…..you…." but Ron was stumbling over every different way to tell her. As he struggled further with words, Hermione leaned in a little closer to Ron, slowly coming in towards him. Ron had stopped trying to get his words out and just allowed himself to let this moment seep into him. He could hear her gently ruffling the sheets on his bed as she shifted. Ron gently let her gentle scent of a cool summer breeze waft into his mind, keeping a place in his memory forever. But Hermione's angel soft skin and twinkling eyes were nearing him. Even though he had nerves and wasn't so good with words, things seemed to be working out. She was only inches from his face, and Ron felt his hand slip out of his lap and into her's, slowly wrapping around her thin hand. It was all perfect.

"Well, wasn't expecting that" whispered a very shocked Charlie. Hermione's reflexes seemed a lot faster than Ron's as she flung her head backwards to catch a glimpse of who ever had just walked into the room. Ron was yet again out of the know. All he did was stare at Charlie and tried to say something but all that came out were grunts and gasps of air. Hermione had suddenly ripped her hand away from Ron's and slid off the bed, gracefully coming to her feet.

"Ron, stop trying to speak troll. It's find, I'll get out. Mum just sent me up here to see if Hermione needed the couch made up for her. So, are you gonna stay up here or would you like the living room?" Charlie said, with his completely soothing voice, reassuring Ron that this wouldn't travel throughout the Weasley family.

"Oh Charlie thanks for asking, but I think I will stay up here, we haven't talked in weeks. Ronald and I have some catching up to do" Hermione said in her sing-song voice. And with that Charlie gently clicked the door shut and Hermione began pacing around the room. Ron thought it was too uncomfortable of a time to talk, or was it the other way around. Did he need to say something before things got worse? Even if he needed to, he just couldn't.

After a good few silent moments Hermione drifted back towards the bed and sat next to Ron again. There was an odd aura in the room and Ron knew that his moment had passed. Just then Hermione took Ron's hand. It felt backwards to Ron, he was supposed to make the move. As she held his hand in both of her's, Ron noticed a look of uncertainty in her eyes. She looked so confused, something Ron had never seen in his Hermione, but how could he reject that. She looked even cuter this way.

"Hermione….are you alright?" Ron whispered, making sure his voice signed that he was there for her. He didn't want to sound demanding, but he wanted to make sure she felt comfortable with him.

"Oh Ron! I'm so lost. I don't know what's right anymore. All I know is that I need you." Hermione whimpered into the silence of the room. She let herself loose and fell into Ron's arm holding onto him as tightly as she could. All Ron knew to do was be there for his best friend in need, even if he wasn't sure exactly what he needed to do to help her. There must have been something on Hermione's conscience because she sobbed into Ron's arms all night long. He held her delicate frame, absorbing everything about her. Her skin was cool to the touch and she was slightly shivering. Ron wrapped himself around her a little bit more as to keep her from getting any colder. He had already gotten used to the draft in his room ,but knew that this had to be a bit much for Hermione. He never wanted to let go, and even as she fell asleep he held her as if he would never see her again. And even though Ron didn't know it, Hermione felt the same way.


	3. Hairmyoneee And Silenced Showers

Everyone knew that Ron was a heavy sleeper; even Fleur Delacour was smart enough to figure that out. Thus, she thought it safe to walk into Ron's room and get Hermione to come downstairs for breakfast. But this morning was a little bit backwards, as Ron was quick to wake up when Fleur opened his bedroom door. Well, honestly he had already been awake for about two hours, but he hadn't moved since he had. Hermione was surprisingly still asleep. Fleur was sure that Hermione would get up early to make something more efficient, which was the Granger way.

"Shhhh…" Ron whispered in Fleur's direction. He would have given her the _shhh-ing_ hand gesture if his arms weren't tangled in the sleeping ball that was Hermione. She looked so tiny and delicate in comparison to Ron. He was now looking a lot more like the man he was going to be than he had before. He may still be thin, but gangly did not describe him anymore. His broad shoulders were probably the largest part of him, he still did have thin extremities. But his large body reached nearly six feet while Hermione was a thin girl of five and a half feet. Ron looked so caring and as if he was meant to have this girl in his arms. Apparently even Fleur thought so.

"Eet is okay Ronald. I weel not tell anyone and weel come 'cheek up' on you in an hour or two. I theenk you are being very sweet to Ms. Hairmyoneee" Fleur tried to whisper in her developing "Eenglish". Once Fleur had walked back out of the room, Ron was free to go attend to his duties. Well, he wasn't really doing anything but watching Hermione sleep. Her chest rising and falling as she buried he face in Ron's chest. Oh how gorgeous she looked, and she was all Ron's, for the time being at least. Her hair seemed to be curling over the night, Ron thought that her 'straightener' must not have long lasting effects. But even with long brown wavy hair, she was the most beautiful person Ron had laid eyes on. As he thought this, Ron realized he hadn't even cared that Fleur was in his room talking to him directly a few minutes ago. It seemed that even Fleur's mind hindering beauty couldn't draw Ron from Hermione.

As Ron gently ran his hands up and down Hermione's arm, her body shifted and she began to roll over. Ron was a bit shocked seeing as Hermione hadn't moved in hours. Ron tried as hard as he could not to move, he didn't want to disturb Hermione's peaceful sleep.

"Ro….Ron is that you? Where am I?" Hermione was attempting to figure out exactly what she was saying.

"Hermione, it's okay, you're just at the Burrow. Remember, you're staying here. I would have gotten up and let you have the entire cot last night but you kind of had me trapped." Ron said, quickly trying to cover up the fact that he had been staring at Hermione for hours. Obviously, he was not doing a very good job of it.

"Ron, I,I…" Hermione tried to get the words out but her attempt was covered by a long yawn. Ron just could not stop looking at her. She looked just as gorgeous when she hadn't done her make-up or any of those self-maintenance things Muggles do. She was perfect just the way she looked now.

"It's okay 'Mione, you just fell asleep here. Don't worry. Well you have some worrying to do as you sadly enough have to spend the day with Fleur. I'm going with Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Dad to go get out suits for the wedding. Fleur has been saying all summer how she feels bad that she didn't make you a bridesmaid seeing as you were so nice to her during the Triwizard Tournament, but apparently Bill and Fleur decided family only. She still wants to help you pick out your dress though. Hope you don't mind." Ron spat all of this out so quickly Hermione only caught about have of the explanation. She was still laying down, but not staring bug-eyed up at Ron, wondering why he needed to get this all out so fast.

Ron decided now that there was dead silence in the room it would be a good time to get up and remove himself from the now awake Hermione. He tried and was urging himself to, but it seemed that there was some magnetism between the two. Ron couldn't understand, He needed to get up and get ready to go shopping with his family.

"Oh sorry Ron. I didn't realize that I was lying on your legs." Hermione started to speak as swiftly as Ron had. She hopped off Ron's leg trying to stay on what little room was left on the double bed. Her barely tanned face was now turning a slight peachy color, due to her embarrassment of being sprawled out and tucked underneath her best friend. And the boy she secretly loved. Hermione left the room after an awkward minute of silence. She waited for Ron's okay to come back in the room after he had gotten dressed.

God, how Hermione had forgotten how handsome Ron was. He gently slid open the door only to reveal himself shirtless with knee length khaki shorts on. Hermione would have never thought of Ron as the muscular type, but it looked as though Quidditch had done him well. He didn't have the chiseled abs of the men in magazines, but Hermione found that unnecessary in a man. Ron was just perfectly toned, tall, pale, and gorgeous. Hermione was more dumbstruck than Ron had been for the past twenty hours. All she could do was stare at her best friend in amazement and admiration.

"Oh, sorry bout that. Mum says she doesn't want me strutting about the house in yesterday's clothes. I changed just so I could make it to the lavatory without her criticizing my '_audacity in front of our guests'_. If you need anything just find Fred or Mum, but I shouldn't be too long." Ron was finally speaking at a normal pace again, trying not to embarrass his half naked self in front of Hermione. "God I probably look like an idiot? I could've taken the extra seven seconds and thrown on a shirt. Look at me just standing here in front of her as if I expect something. Damnit Ron." He thought to himself, obviously fearing Hermione's opinions.

"It's no problem Ron, I will probably be up here, doing nothing. Well not nothing of course, most likely practicing spells and finding my way with my wand. " she tried to slyly reply back, but she just as Ron felt like a totally idiot. Hermione knew she wouldn't be practicing magic, but searching through Ron's room to find at least the slightest hint that he liked her. Anything that would signal this and Hermione wouldn't care if she had to spend a year with Phlegm… or Fleur.

Ron headed down towards the bathroom, half sulking half skipping through the halls. He couldn't decide whether Hermione was totally 'crushing' on him, or if he had just made matters worse. He slid in the bathroom, beating Charlie only because he was larger than him and half shoved him to get in through the door. Ron closed the door and locked it shut. "Silencio" he whispered towards the door and then towards the shower curtain. Ron was fully aware that he sang in the shower and didn't want to risk any further humiliation in front of Hermione. As he slid off his overly large khakis and then let his navy blue boxers fall to the ground, all Ron could think about was Hermione. Why hadn't he had the nerve to just tell her? Why couldn't he just whisper to her and say he was madly in love with her?

Hermione was still sitting in the doorway in front of Ron's room and then thought that must have looked awkward. She raced into Ron's room and jumped on the bed, ignoring the squeaks coming from the aging bed frame. She laid down, arms behind her head just as Ron had done the night before.

"Ron, why can't I stop thinking about him? He's just a boy, just another silly boy. More importantly he's my best friend. Ulgh I'm suck and idiot!" she thought to herself, twiddling her thumbs faster and faster. "Why can't I just tell him that I love him. It's been six years and he is all I can think of."

Ron was now in the shower at this time, scrubbing his arms and singing an old Weird Sisters song from the early '80's when he had a spectacular idea. "Ask her to be my date at the wedding. It's perfect, romantic, but if she says no then things can't be too uncomfortable between us. Yes! I'm a genius."

At that exact same moment, four stories higher in the house Hermione thought to herself "I'll figure out a subtle way to ask him to the wedding with me. Then we can spend our entire time in France together whether he accepts or not. Gosh, I never noticed how smart I was until now."

A/N: Ok so I am new at writing about Ron and Hermione because this is a relationship that I am afraid my writing will insult, but I think that their relationship is building rather well in this tale. Now, I am leaving this chapter with both of them thinking they look like absolute idiots and day dreaming about one another. Please review and tell me what you think so far.


	4. Hypnotized With You and Green Suits

A/N: After over two years, I have decided to return to this fanfiction

**A/N:** After over two years, I have decided to return to this fanfiction. Now I ask that no reader holds me to this, but I will be attempting to write one chapter a day from this Sunday night until two Sundays from now. That will equal fourteen chapters of plot twisting fun!! Enjoy.

(Oh, and I own nothing. I would have a heart attack if I owned Ron Weasley)

After a long shower of contemplating the many ways to ask Hermione to Bill and Fleur's wedding, Ron walked out into the steamy bathroom singing love ballads from the Weird Sisters' album _Hypnotized With You_.

"The wedding is in the first week of July so that gives me… two and a half weeks. There is bound to be a moment where we are alone, I look presentable, there is soft music in the background, and oh of course fluttering fairies dancing around us singing love tunes! Who am I kidding? There is no chance that I would be able to impress her enough. I can't ask her out during meals when my mouth is full of bacon or some other pork product. During the day I'm always running around the house doing frivolous chores my mother asks me to do. What good time is there to ask out the perfect girl? No, perfect woman. Hermione is a respectable lady and deserves to be treated as such. But how?"

Ron sighed after going through this in his head, and then tousled his hair with his towel. Grunting and kicking the old claw foot tub, Ron picked up his boxers and khakis and slid them on. He had gone from being ecstatic about finally deciding to ask her out, to losing his mind over planning the perfect way to carry out the act.

Hermione was still sitting on Ron's bed, subconsciously taking in the scent of him from his pillow. Ron was an amazing young man and Hermione loved him. A million thoughts ran through her head and Hermione could not control the pace of her own mind. She went through her usual bit of self-deprecation.

" Ask him out. Ask him out?! What was I thinking? I could never ask out a boy, let alone the boy I want to spend the rest of my life with. Life is not a Sadie Hawkins' Dance Hermione; you can't just go around asking out the man of your dreams. No more popping out in gardens sending chills through his spine. I have to sweep him off of his feet. No, boys sweep girls. Oh, and Ron would feel completely patronized if I asked him out. That boy and his pride, I tell you I can't do one thing without offending him or crushing his ego. It's not his fault that he is surrounded by a successful family and The Chosen One. So how do I go about doing this without taking away his delicate dignity?"

She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the curls coming back. Schlumping back onto the bed, wondering why life was so complicated. She'd spent six years watching the scared little boy with a rat in his pocket grow into the perfect young man who would assist to take the wizarding world back. He was brave and selfless, always putting himself on the line for Harry. She could feel herself being filled with a warmth she felt only when thinking of Ron. It was time to go take a long cold shower.

Another thirty minutes into the day, all the Weasleys currently residing at the Burrow, and Hermione and Fleur, were downstairs preparing for a long day of wedding plans and shopping. Fleur was standing at the end of the table, watching Bill slowly eat his eggs, tapping her foot. Ron had finished his breakfast and was relaxing in his chair. Charlie had taken what seemed to be three times the serving that Ron had helped himself to, and Hermione was so frustrated with planning her _Ask Ron Out_ plans that she couldn't stop twirling a long piece of bacon in her fingers.

Fleur's incessant tapping finally threw Bill over the edge and he caved in to her. Once Bill had admitted that he would eventually have to go shopping for his own wedding, the Weasleys were ready for Diagon Alley. All throwing on their robes, the children, and Molly and Arthur grabbed their flew powder and were off. Hermione had finally gotten used to that pulling feeling in the air when flooing to any location, but today her stomach was already twisted into butterflies.

When she arrived Diagon Alley it felt as though she had tripped, her face quickly approaching the ground. A large hand was immediately placed on her stomach, and the butterflies were racing around with more fervor than usual. She was lifted up and began to catch her breath, that is until she saw that the hand belonged to Ron Weasley. He looked at her with an expression of genuine concern and she nearly lost control of herself. She wanted to throw her arms around him and have him right there and then, in front of the shopping town full of wizards. Within several seconds her breathing steadied and she composed herself, stepping away from Ron, who continued to stare at her with those sad round eyes.

"Don't do this to yourself Hermione. I've barely even left the house before falling apart in front of him. It seems that no matter where I go, and how hard I fall he catches me. But that's what friends do isn't it? Ron just wants me to be safe, like any best friend should. I can't just pour all of my girly emotions onto him at once. Give him time, and give yourself time to concoct a plan."

It had been nearly two hours since they left the Burrow and Ron was already missing Hermione. The boys and girls had split up after they had all reached Diagon Alley. Ron was bored out of his mind watching Bill try on suits in four hundred different shades of black and grey. All Ron could do to entertain himself was imagine Phlegm dragging Hermione to dozens of stores, asking her to try on dresses in the most hideous colors. Ron looked back to the announcement of the Yule Ball, remembering Hermione's complains about finding a decent pair of dress robes. Ron loved the idea of her dressing up, but knew that Fleur would push her to look like a young girl's toy doll.

After Arthur and Bill had chosen their suits, they moved on to find Ron and the twins' suits. Luckily, the twins had managed to stay the same size their whole lives, so only one was required to come shopping. Fred walked out of the dressing room in a grass green suit with bright orange tie and shoes to clash, when Bill let a stern expression cover his face. Ron knew better than that, and that he should simply allow his father to pick his suit for him. Too bad for Ron, was that he seemed to be built differently than all other men who desired (or were forced) to wear a suit. Ron spent the next forty-five minutes being poked and prodded by a little old man and his apprentice as they gathered measurements for his necessary tailor made suit. It was half way through the measuring that Ron realized how long of a day this would really be.


	5. Hideous Ruffles and Melted Ice Cream

A/N: Hello readers

**A/N:** Hello readers. I understand that my writing hasn't been perfectly up to par, but I will get back in the groove of writing soon. I would like to ask if anyone of the readers dislikes the fact that this story ignores _Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows_. It will definitely follow the general idea, but I'm not sure if or when Hermione and Ron will join Harry on his hunt for horocruxes. Hope no one hates the idea of Ginny being there either.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! Honestly, the only thing I really own is this laptop and the ideas that flow through my head. J.K. Rowling is a literary genius!!

Hermione lost her breath yet another time today. It was only noon and Fleur had forced her into nearly thirty dresses so far. Each dress had a different system of zippers, ties, laces, bows, and every other fastening device imaginable. Fleur had asked Hermione ten times over if she was the same dress size as Ginny, but two hours into the day Molly insisted on just handing Fleur Ginny's measurements.

The dresses for Ginny and Gabrielle's dresses had been chosen, along with Molly's, Fleur made it very clear that she would pay for Hermione's dress. The entire day she had been going on and on about how "veree veree guiltie" she felt about not making Hermione a bridesmaid. Molly told Hermione about the family only rule and that sent Hermione's mind into overdrive.

"I could be their family one day. Ron could marry me and it would be my wedding. I wouldn't be plain old buck toothed Ms. Granger anymore. I could be the newest Mrs. Weasley. Harry would be our best man and Ginny could be my maid of honor, that is if she isn't too tired of all the Weasley weddings. Who am I kidding? Ron would never want to marry me. I'm just an insufferable know it all who is always pushing her friends around. Not to mention every person in his family, whether by birth or marriage, is a pure-blood. They aren't going to risk Ron marrying me, a muggle born who is twice as likely to have a squib for a child."

"Oh, Hairmyonee! I am theenking I half found the perfect dress for you." Fleur's pronunciation really did butcher the English language. Hermione had been pulled out of her own thoughts by the waving of a silky brown dress in front of her face.

"But Fleur, this is your wedding. We really should be searching for an amazing dress for you. You shouldn't spend anymore time looking for a dress for me." Hermione really was just sick of Fleur forcing her into all of these hideous dresses. Apparently the French had a very different idea of style. It had been around four dresses that contained ruffles and hideous shades of pink and magenta, seven blue dresses, some of which were slightly acceptable but just reminded Hermione of the Yule Ball. The list of dresses continued forever, but none of them were right for Hermione. She needed to look absolutely perfect, especially if there was any chance she was going to ask Ron to go with her.

"Hairmyonee, this dress is absolutelee stunning!" Fleur really did need to take some official language courses before Hermione shoved an English textbook down her throat. She needed to stop thinking about harming Fleur, so she actually did take a moment to look at the dress.

It was long enough to reach Hermione's ankles, and was strapless. The entire dress was made of a chocolate silk that looked as if it were real molten chocolate dripping down. She knew there was no way of getting out of trying on the dress, so Hermione took the liberty of escorting herself to a dressing room. This dress wasn't full of buttons and clasps, but a simple criss-crossing string in the back that tightened perfectly around Hermione's gentle curves. As she walked out of the dressing room Fleur gasped over dramatically, which gave Hermione the sense to cover up. She turned to look in the mirror, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"He'll love it." Mrs. Weasley whispered in Hermione's ear from behind her, slowly pulling Hermione's arms from her chest. Once she took a long look in the mirror, she felt a bit more confident. Maybe Ron would enjoy seeing her in something so un-Hermione.

"Alright Fleur, you've done it. This is what I'd like to wear to your special day. Now let's go find the right dress for your special day!" Hermione's frown had melted away and now she didn't mind spending the whole day with Phlegm….or Fleur.

--

Ron sped up before his brothers and father, walking rather quickly at this point. He was already several feet ahead of them, because with legs as long as his, Ron's strides covered a few feet at a time. The Weasley men were headed for Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor to meet the girls, but all the men older than Ron had learned after years of experience that Weasley women were never on time, even if Hermione was with them. Fred was pretending to sulk around since Bill wouldn't allow for him to wear any of the neon or metallic suits that he so desperately wanted. Arthur was concentrating on getting all of the men's suits to the ice cream parlor without them being dropped or wrinkled, and Bill was happily oblivious to everything around him, as he hummed to the tune of _Love and Marriage_.

Once Ron had reached Fortescue's, he situated himself at a small table for two around the corner of the patio, somewhat secluded but still able to view the witches and wizards of Diagon Alley. He thought it was an adorable place to be with Hermione, a place where maybe the right moment to ask her out would occur. By the time he was reveling in an in-depth daydream about Hermione giggling and flirting with him, his brothers had dragged over their own chairs to the table.

"Baby brother, how is it you could think we could think all of us Weasley shoppers could sit at a table so small?" Fred taunted, proving his point by overcrowding the table.

"It's almost as if you wanted this table for two. You and a special lady?" Bill always loved poking fun at his brothers, but was never as cruel as the twins.

"Oh bugger off you two! I got this table on my own and I intend to keep it that way. I haven't seen Hermione in weeks and we have a lot to talk about, a lot to plan for this year." Ron had told his brothers that Hermione and he were going to go with Harry on his journey, and thought this proved as a believable excuse.

"Planning a little wedding of your own? Oh how dare you steal my thunder you wanker!" Bill said, mocking Ron with his every movement. He had honestly hated being the center of attention at the Burrow, but Fleur took some of the burden off of him.

Ron simply sighed and let his body loose with an exhale. He didn't want to argue with his brothers. They had all told him that he was madly in love with Hermione for years, and he wasn't ready to admit that they were right. Fred was never supposed to be right, and if he was, then maybe it was some sort of omen. A warning that he shouldn't make a move towards Hermione. Doubts and worries fluttered through his head, but the only thing, or person, that could pull him out of these thoughts arrived at his table.

Hermione looked around Florean Fortescue's as soon as she arrived. She waited in line with the boys and Fleur and Molly, and they all discussed their day's accomplishments. She was still somewhat bothered by the fact that Fleur had dragged them into six bridal shops, looking at what seemed to be hundreds of white wedding dresses, and as they walked around the last shop, Fleur had announced that she had ordered her wedding dress from France weeks ago. Any unnecessary time in a shopping district with a Delacour woman was a terrible fate.

When all of the kids had their ice cream, after Molly told Arthur he didn't need any extra sugar, Hermione walked towards the long black iron table with five chairs surrounding it. As soon as she got near a seat, Fred pinched her side lightly and nudged her towards the table Ron was sitting at, alone. She took the not so subtle hint and sat down with him.

"Ronald, how has your day been?" she didn't mean to sound so formal, but she felt awkward sitting at a table for two with him.

"You know how much I hate it when you call me that. And my day was terrible. Apparently I'm irregularly shaped and needed to be fondled by some tailors so that I can get some overpriced pretentious suit for the first of a chain of Weasley weddings." Ron joked about her calling him Ronald, but by the end of his rambling, he sounded quite serious.

"What do you mean a chain of weddings?" she was somewhat confused. It wasn't as if they left from France straight to another wedding.

"It isn't obvious? First it will be Bill and Fleur. Then Charlie will get married. Percy will never get married, but even if he did I don't think any of us would want to go. Fred will marry Angelina and George will marry Katie. Soon after that, Ginny will marry Harry and it will be me and Percy, the lonely bachelors." He said it all in one breath, as if he needed to get it out, like he'd been holding in the fact that he felt like a loner.

"Who would Charlie marry?" Hermione felt rather stupid after saying it, not responding to Ron's self conscious rant, but more towards her own confusion. Once she had all of the facts then she could focus on any emotional factors.

"He's been seeing this girl Helena for the past few months and he said it was getting serious." Ron half whispered half mumbled. He didn't like showing Hermione that he was weak, and tried desperately to forget his loner comments.

"Oh." She held a long pause, watching as Ron tried to hide his face, looking down at the ice cream he was pushing around with a spoon. "Ron, you're not like Percy. You won't be alone" she said in hushed tones, but with an air of confidence.

"I will. I've accepted it. If the rest of my family is happy it's okay. Though I'm sure my mother will be upset that she'll have a few less grandchildren." He still wouldn't look her in the eyes, let alone look away from his quickly melting double chocolate fudge ice cream.

"You listen to me Ronald." She reached her hand across the table, which wasn't very big. She cupped his chin in her hand, pulling his face up so that he could look her in the eyes. "Any girl would be lucky to have you and many of them are already lining up to be Mrs. Ron Weasley. Just because your brothers have had serious relationships before you doesn't mean you won't ever have one. If more women knew the real you, they would be following you all around Diagon Alley." She paused for a moment, seeing Ron blush made her feel good. She had brought a little smile to his lips, but his eyes were looking down again, avoiding her pep talk.

"Ron, you're brave, strong, sweet, funny, caring, and all around delightful to be around. And even though you don't show it, you're rather smart. I don't want you to doubt yourself because you don't date a different girl every week. That's the only reason your brothers are where they are, because they all dated around looking for the right girl. You're better than that and you deserve the best girl. Let her come to you." She finished rather quietly, pulling her hand away from his face. She took a page out of Ron's book and looked down at her own empty ice cream bowl, hiding her red face.

Ron finally looked up after possibly the most reassuring speech he had ever heard. Hermione had managed to not only make Ron sound like some sort of superhero, but she also made him sound better than his brothers. Now that he was ready to look at her, he saw her red face and the water behind her eyes. He reached a hand across the table, gently running it across the top of her hand, almost petting it as a form of comfort.

She couldn't believe that he was actually touching her. His touch sent chills through her body. She flipped her hand over and took his fingers in between hers. She liked the feeling of their palms against each other. If she concentrated enough, she could feel his pulse, feel his heart beat.

He had made a move, and it had paid off. Hermione was holding his hand and he felt as if he were floating above his seat. All in less than five minutes she had complemented him and held his hand. Ron didn't think he could be any happier than this. With all of the sparks flying between the two, neither noticed that their ice creams were completely melted.

**A/N:** alright, a slightly longer chapter but I liked it. I really pictured it in my mind and I hope all of you could see what I was going for. Please REVIEW!!


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